May 23, 2000

The U.S. Department of Transportation today announced that it will hold a public meeting on Tuesday, June 6, in Rosemont, Ill., on the commercial driver's license (CDL) program in Illinois.

The meeting is part of a review of the Illinois CDL program by a panel of transportation experts, created in response to Illinois Governor George Ryan's request to U.S. Transportation Secretary Rodney E. Slater for assistance in conducting a review of the state's CDL and driver safety programs. Members of the panel were in Chicago May 3-4.

At the meeting, the Department's Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) expects to hear public concerns about the state's CDL program, issue practices for CDLs, driver testing (including third party testing), and literacy and translation requirements.

The meeting will run from 9 a.m. until 4:30 p.m. with a break from noon to 1:30 p.m. It will be held at the Ramada Plaza Hotel (O'Hare Airport), 6600 N. Mannheim Road in Rosemont.

Participants who wish to make oral comments must preregister, and others are encouraged to preregister for the meeting. Preregistration information must be provided by 4 p.m. EDT June 1, 2000. Participants can preregister by providing their name, address, phone number, and home or business address by email to CDLMTG@fmcsa.dot.gov, fax to 708-283-3579, or telephone to (708)-283-3518.

Comments will be scheduled on a first-come, first-served basis. Oral presentations will be limited to a maximum of 10 minutes.

Written comments must be provided by 4 p.m. on June 13, 2000, to the docket clerk, U.S. DOT Docket No. FMCSA 2000-7365, Room PL-401, 400 Seventh Street, S.W., Washington, DC 20590-0001. Internet users may access the docket from the FMSCA web site by completing the url: http://www.fmcsa.dot.gov/rulesregs/fmcsr/rulemakings.htm#other .

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